1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a float device for use in drawing liquids such as fuel from a tank or other reservoir.
2. Related Art
In conventional fuel tanks, the fuel is drawn from a point adjacent the bottom of the tank in order to enable the pick-up of fuel even when the level of fuel in the tank is low. However, a disadvantage of this arrangement is that any water and/or sediment which has accumulated at the bottom of the tank can be drawn up with the fuel.
UK Patent Number GB2 350 337B discloses a solution to this problem in the form of a float device having a float arranged for rising and falling with the level of fuel in the tank, and a fuel pick up duct which comprises a flexible tube having its free end coupled to the float, the float being arranged for vertical movement within a filter which encloses the float and the flexible tube.
In use, the float ensures that the fuel entry or pick-up end of the tube is always adjacent the surface of the fuel in the tank. Accordingly, the pick-up point is always adjacent the surface of the fuel in the tank and thus the risk of drawing up a sediment or water is alleviated.
The filter in which the float moves vertically comprises an elongate perforated tube which is closed at its lower end by a solid or perforated end wall. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the length of the filter needs to be accurate, otherwise it will abut the bottom of the tank and prevent the device from fitting properly. Alternatively, if the filter is too short, the pick-up end of the tube will not reach to the bottom of the tank and as such the fuel capacity of the tank is not maximised.